


endlessly

by miiniwa



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-04-09
Packaged: 2018-10-16 17:05:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10575708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miiniwa/pseuds/miiniwa
Summary: Mao wakes up to the feeling of something soft brushing constantly against the back of his neck, and the increasing urge to laugh.He presses his lips into a tight line, almost positive that it's Ritsu's bangs brushing along his neck, an occurrence that happens on something close to occasionally, and he frowns, because nearly every time, he's not too sure what to do about it.It tickles a lot, but I can't move, Mao squeezes his eyes shut, doing his best to endure, and almost deciding to give up when Ritsu's fringe only begins to feel more and more feathery.





	

**Author's Note:**

> something super super short and super super dumb because i like ritsumao a lot

Mao wakes up to the feeling of something soft brushing constantly against the back of his neck, and the increasing urge to laugh.

 

He presses his lips into a tight line, almost positive that it's Ritsu's bangs brushing along his neck, an occurrence that happens on something close to occasionally, and he frowns, because nearly every time, he's not too sure what to do about it.

 

_It tickles a lot, but I can't move_ , Mao squeezes his eyes shut, doing his best to endure, and almost deciding to give up when Ritsu's fringe only begins to feel more and more feathery.

 

He pauses, raising a brow when he feels Ritsu's fingers tapping at his neck, and Mao quickly turns around, a sour expression on his face.

 

"Hey, at least _say_ something when you're awake," Mao tells him, sighing as he looks at Ritsu, who looks as if he had done nothing wrong.

 

"Did you become less ticklish, Maa-kun?" Ritsu questions, most likely because of the fact that Mao had managed not to show any real reaction, and Mao rolls his eyes at how he almost looks disappointed by it.

 

"Yeah, I think so," Mao lies, eyes briefly distracted by how dark it still appears outside the window.

 

"Oh, really?" Ritsu asks, fingertips brushing lightly against the back of Mao's neck again, and Mao flinches, a couple sharp, involuntary laughs leaving his mouth at how ticklish it feels.

 

"You"— Mao snaps, placing his hand at the top of Ritsu's head before he ruffles his hair, effectively messing up his fringe.

 

_This guy's definitely teasing me_ , Mao thinks, holding onto the back of his neck, trying to pretend that he's not fazed by the small smile on Ritsu's face.

 

Mao sighs, turning back onto his stomach and planting his face into his pillow when he sees that he had woken up an hour before the alarm on his phone was supposed to go off, with Ritsu quietly staring at him, vaguely wondering just how many times Mao had had to endure the tickling at the back of his neck during the times when he had actually been asleep.

 

_Typical Maa-kun_ , Ritsu closes his eyes, smile on his lips tugging up just a tiny bit more, as his fingers thread unconsciously through the ends of Mao's hair, feeling warmer as Mao mutters a short and almost sulky, "Let's go back to sleep, Ricchan."

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

The train ride home that day is quiet, with their shoulders lightly brushing against each other with every short rattle of the train, both of them only subconsciously minding it.

 

From his seat, to Ritsu, the view outside looks like a rush of purple and pink colors, with the sun almost completely set, and paired with the occasional, quiet heat at his shoulder, it's difficult to not feel drowsy.

 

He eventually falls asleep like that, to the sound of the periodic train rattles, and the comforting touch against his shoulder.

 

When Ritsu wakes up, the train is still moving, and Mao is still right next to him, the familiar feel of his shoulder still against his.

 

He glances over, seeing that Mao had managed not to fall asleep, but upon closer inspection, he also sees that Mao's eyes are just barely half-lidded and somewhat drowsy looking.

 

He's probably tired from all the work he had to finish up after school, Ritsu is guessing, yet even so, Mao had always made sure to stay awake on the train whenever Ritsu had decided to doze off, another selfless part of him, and another part for Ritsu to appreciate.

 

"Maa-kun, it's our stop," Ritsu says, poking at his arm.

 

"Huh? Oh, right," Mao shakes his head, rubbing his eyes a little as he stands up from his seat and strolls out of the train.

 

"That was close," Mao sighs as they tread along the sidewalk, thinking that maybe he should go to sleep a bit earlier tonight.

 

"It reminds me of the time when we both fell asleep," Ritsu comments.

 

"And then we ended up at one of the last stops and had to find our way back home," Mao continues, tone dull, because it's one of the moments that had made him feel the least diligent and the most irresponsible.

 

"We got lost in a part of town that we both haven't been to before, and we didn't get back until late at night," Ritsu recalls, and Mao sighs at the remembrance.

 

"That time was..." Ritsu says, glancing up for a moment, remembering how Mao had been frantically checking the map on his phone, constantly looking around to make sure that he was still close to him.

 

"It was unexpectedly fun," he says, looking over at Mao, a soft smile on his face.

 

His chest twists a couple times, somehow caught off guard by it all, and feeling slightly weak.

 

_It's almost like_ —

 

He honestly _tries_ not to think about it.

 

— _he was telling a love story_ , he reflects, because the look in Ritsu's eyes had been too fond, too warm, and it only hits him harder when he realizes that it seems as if that look had been pointed directly towards him.

 

_Ah, crap_ , Mao frowns, gaze flickering away, and Ritsu quietly tilts his head to the side.

 

"What is it? Did I embarrass you, Maa-kun?" Ritsu questions, and Mao reluctantly looks back towards him, knowing full well that he's being teased again.

 

"Let's hurry up and go home before it gets too dark," Mao snaps, walking on ahead, but only by a couple steps, and Ritsu smiles to himself, eyes quietly set on the redness at the back of Mao's ears.

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

Whenever Mao's mind decides to remind him of how long he and Ritsu have known each other, he's also inevitably reminded of how much time has passed, and somehow, it's a slightly unsettling thought.

 

For him, the concept of time has always been a bit strange, because no matter what kind of things occurred in his daily life, no matter how much he had done in one day, time would always pass by quietly, at the same, unchanging pace.

 

That being said, it has also made him aware that the simple things he had become used to, like being tickled by Ritsu's fringe in the early morning, or having to carry him to school when they were running late, could change without warning.

 

Mao lifts his head from his pillow, eyes drawn to the clock to see that it's still only nine in the evening, before he looks just a little bit ahead of him and sees Ritsu, back turned towards him and attention placed on the TV.

 

_Always together, always within reach_.

 

At first, it's just a small, passing thought.

 

Mao closes his eyes, his mind suddenly beginning to wonder how long 'always' really is.

 

He tries to convince himself that these thoughts are being spurred purely by the fact that he's too sleepy for much of anything else, but he still knows that that's not completely true.

 

He reaches over, fingers just barely catching onto Ritsu's hand, and Ritsu turns around to face him, red eyes looking a little brighter than usual.

 

"I"— He hesitates for only half a second.

 

"I really like you, Ritsu," he tells him, not really sure why he hadn't done this sooner.

 

Ritsu stares at him for a while, wondering what exactly had caused Mao to confess to him while he had been watching TV, before he sees the look in Mao's eyes, and mostly understands.

 

"Maa-kun. Say it again?" Ritsu requests, a tiny smile on his lips, and Mao blushes a dark red color, a hand quickly covering the bottom half of his face.

 

Mao heaves out a long breath, knowing that he should have partly seen this coming.

 

"I like you," he mutters, head leaning forward until their foreheads are pressed comfortably against one another, until all he can see is the gentle shade of red that he had long become familiar with.

 

Ritsu slides his head onto Mao's shoulder, one of the warmest places he knows, before he says a short, "I like Maa-kun too."

 

For Mao, it's probably the most reassuring thing that's happened to him, and he hopes that the feeling of warmth on his shoulder, and the lingering warmth on his forehead, will be things that he can always have with him.

**Author's Note:**

> this one doesn't really have any structure but they were bits and pieces that i still kind of wanted to write out anyway ?? if you read this, thank you
> 
> somewhat active at: https://twitter.com/kuuroken


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